(Photo Mesa Airlines)
MESA AIR Group will sell 18 Embraer aircraft to United Airlines in a sale and leaseback agreement, raising around $230m. The regional carrier said in a filing on January 7 with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that $142m of the funds raised will be used to pay off the carrier’s debt. Eight Embraer E175s were transferred to United on December 31, 2024, and the remaining ten will be moved by the end of February. Mesa will then lease back the 76-seat aircraft from United, which already operates for the US major. Mesa has been a United Express operator since the early 1990s. The partnership was expanded in 2022 when United announced it was acquiring a 10% stake in Mesa and entering a five-year Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA). In April 2023, its 30-year partnership with American Airlines came to an end, leaving United as its sole partner.
The Phoenix-based airline has also said it has entered a further deal with an undisclosed third party to sell 15 Bombardier CRJ-900s. This separate transaction is set to raise around $19m, which will be used to pay down a loan with the US Treasury. This deal is expected to be completed by the end of April 2025.